I often check on Bandcamp for new releases from some new releases from some of my favorite labels and one of my favorite in the black metal scene is Depressive Illusions Records. I saw that the label released a few albums so far this year and one that caught my eye was a one man band from Australia called Lunacrypt. The name was catchy, the artwork was simple and effective and I thought, “why the hell not?” After a few solid listens to this EP, its what I was expecting, raw, angry and fast black metal that has that “DIY” sound. Not saying that is a bad thing as I do love raw black metal whether it is from someone’s basement or recorded in a studio but what makes the difference is the energy behind it all. Lunacrypt definitely has that angry energy that fuels this project.
Hymns To End All Life is the second release from this relatively new project created by Johnny Crypt. It features a lot of Darkthrone style riffs, otherworldly vocals and programmed drums that just stick to the rhythm. There are a lot of moments where I was questioning if the vocals are heavily processed or just layered too many times but besides that, most of this EP was just straight fun and aggression that I would hope for from a black metal release. Tracks like Darkness Is A Path and Doom Laden stand out as the most unique and straight forward. Again, my only problem with this release is how the vocals sound. The guitars and riffs sound amazing, the drums fit pretty damn well, and honestly if all the vocals sounded more like the track Doom Laden, it would fit more as the vocals almost sound more punk inspired in most tracks and to me, sound a little too out of place at times. Again, this is my view on it, not everyone will agree but all and all, I did enjoy this EP.
This is by all means not a bad release from such a relatively new project, I am just slightly picky. The riffs are catchy and reminiscent of Dark Funeral, Darkthrone and 1349 at times mixed with a little Leviathan. This is a very unique black metal output and maybe that is what the listener will notice. It does have atmosphere, a theme and a completely unique sound that I do not think many can recreate so maybe after a few more spins, I’ll really see it as the masterpiece it may be. I do recommend checking out Hymns To End All Life by Lunacrypt as it is ambitious, aggressive and definitely not lacking in the headbanging department.
Overall Score: 8.0/10
Review by Neil Andersen
